Twitter, on Tuesday, confirmed that they were globally launching tweets that disappear after 24 hours. Although this is new to twitter, it is far from revolutionary as it is the stories feature that is popular on Snapchat and Facebook’s photo-sharing app Instagram.
Before the global release, fleets were tested in Brazil, Italy, India, and South Korea.
Design director Joshua Harris and product manager Sam Haveson said that the initiative was to give people avenue to tweet things that wouldn’t be so permanent. “Because they disappear from view after a day, Fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings,” they added.
However, some Twitter users experimenting with the tool said it had created worrying opportunities for online harassment, like allowing unwanted direct messages. It also allows fleet authors to tag people who have blocked them.
Twitter said it was listening to feedback and working on fixes for safety concerns like the blocking issue.
Fleets, which include text, photos and videos, will be available at the top of users’ home timelines on Twitter and on the sender’s profile, just like Instagram and Facebook.
Twitter also confirmed it was working on a live audio feature, dubbed ‘Spaces,’ that it aims to test later this year. The feature will allow users to talk in public, group conversations. It has similarities with Clubhouse, a social platform in which users are invited to talk in voice chat rooms.
The company earlier this year launched a feature for users to tweet recorded voice notes.
